“I believe Pacifico is the perfect partner for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards as it is synonymous with the beach lifestyle,” said Graham Stapelberg, Billabong’s Global Marketing Manager. “It would be hard to find a big wave enthusiast who hasn’t celebrated an epic day of surf with an ice cold Pacifico. It’s an ideal fit.”

i kinda saw it as him not wanting the wave to win outright when its real hard to determine the actual size. so out of respect to his peers and the other waves entered he's pulled it as the hype is becoming bigger than the wave ( though its damn big no question )

im as cynical as they come but on this one i dont see it as a ploy.

“I decided to pull my ride from the event because I’m opposed to the event having an alcohol sponsor. I’ve been thinking a lot about what we really contribute to this world, and at the end of the day you’ve got to make choices,” said McNamara. “I don’t want kids to think that they’re going to be able to accomplish their goals in life by drinking alcohol. That’s only gonna make your goals harder to accomplish and I didn’t want to be associated with that.”